“I Gave My Kids a Terrible Present”

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Jimmy Kimmel’s at it again. After Halloween, he asked parents to tell their kids they ate all their candy and record their reactions. This time he’s got parents giving their kiddos terrible Christmas gifts. Their reactions, of course, are priceless (especially the very last one).

Thanks to Addie Pray for passing this along.

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Addie PrayDecember 13, 2011, 6:50 pm

I *finally* was able to finish the video. Kept getting interrupted at work – damn it, work. Wow, the last kid is … wow!

Seriously, how long do I have to wait to have babies of my own to play tricks on? Huh, McLovin?

Okay, to me, this truly IS genuinely funny only when the kids are just flat out dumbfounded and confused. When they start throwing obnoxiously bratty tantrums — like the one kid who REALLY needs to go on a diet that they kept cutting back to over and over — I am less amused and more depressed.

When I was 12 my sister, who was 22 at the time, got me a lot of office supplies for xmas. Colorful paper clips, pencil holder, stationary, etc. I may have thrown a fit about it (oy) and my family may still talk about it to this day.

Oh, my fit notwithstanding, I too LOVE supplies! Going shopping for school supplies was always my favorite thing. And now I get so sentimental when around July Target starts pulling out all their back-to-school stuff. Sigh. This year my brother and sister-in-law let me buy my niece all her back-to-school supplies/clothes/shoes. It was so fun. But damn it was expensive.

I thought it seemed really mean spirited too. I mean yes, clearly some of the kids were super bratty and entitled, but it seems kind of awful to give a young child a half eaten sandwich and then submit it to a nationally syndicated talk show. Is a young child going to get it? But then again, I’m not a parent so if there’s no harm, I guess no foul.

I don’t know how this is funny. Seriously. This is why kids have no regard for other’s feelings, becuase their parents play tricks on them, laugh in their faces, and then show it to the entire world Shame on them.

And honestly, how is it ok for us to watch and laugh at children crying, and them post about how awesome it will be when we can play the same tricks, but it’s NOT ok to tell someone they are an idiot when they write into dear wendy? I’m confused here, and seriously dissapointed.

My parents played tricks on me … yet, just today I gave up my seat on the bus for an elderly gentlemen. Somehow, I’m making a point. But of course, I suffer from insane lack of self-confidence and self-worth. Also, sometimes it’s hard for me to act professional. Ok, often it’s difficult.

As a parent, I don’t understand the humor in intentionally upsetting your child in order to try and get a video on TV. While I would never do that, I don’t think one incident like this is going to permanently scar a child, but I do think regularly subjecting your child to tricks and then laughing at their expense invalidates their feelings.

I have no problem with thinking it’s hilarious! It’s not like these parents hit their kids and told them that Santa wasn’t real, or even that they didn’t give them anything for Christmas. They told the kids they could open 1 special present early and then it turned out to be something sub-par! Come on! That’s hilarious! These kids are not going to be scared for life because one time they got an onion as a gift 3 weeks before Christmas!

For the most part I found this hysterical and harmless. Clearly the parents explained what was going on after the fact. But like BGM I found the older child in the red stripped sweater to be infuriating. In a loose estimate he was 8-10 years old…too old to be throwing a tantrum like that. Also, baring a medical condition, his weight is a concern. I also found the last boy who so colorfully told Santa off to be disgusting. I can only assume the child has heard this sort of language at home, which I find unacceptable. Any child of mine who speaks like that will have Christmas cancelled.

The cute little girl with the half eaten sandwhich…stole my heart. She is too cute! I’d love to play a small trick like this on my future kid-o’s.

The part I found the funniest was the little girl who said “but I love it when you cook dinners….like hot pockets.” someday I fear I will be the parent whose child considers their cooking to be microwaving something frozen and putting it on a plate.

sometimes it’s all kids will eat though. one of my friend’s kids is going through a chicken nuggets are the ONLY good i will touch phase. to them hot pockets, chicken nuggests = best, gourmet food around. my mom always tells the story of how she made mac n cheese from scratch and my sister and i asked why we couldn’t have the boxed kind, haha.

SO true!!! My 4 year old is extremely fussy. Last week on her birthday, I said I´d make her a special dinner.Of course what could she choose but nuggets. Than my husband wondered why I said I´d make a special dinner if it was just going to be nuggets, what was he expecting? a 4 year old to choose something else?

If it’s the only thing the parent cooks for them…. When I was a kid my mom and dad would cook us actual food, like guiso de lentejas ( lentil stew?), broccoli, cauliflower, and things like that, that for some reason kids don’t seem to like and I loved it and still do. Also, even at a young age I was never a fan of McDonalds or junk food in general.

I cook all types of food, but my daughter in the last year and a half or so stopped eating things gradually. The dr. always says it´s just a phase. Now my baby doesn´t eat anything either, she just wants to suckle ALL DAY LONG.

yeah my mom cooked lots of things. it’s why i love brussell sprouts! 🙂 but my sister and i were picky picky. if i could only go back and have all those years of oyster stuffing that i told her was icky.

Oh yea, I was totally like that too, excpet for my Mom made boxed mac and cheese so many nights I still won’t touch it! I just thought that was amusing, especially since my mother in law is horrified that most nights, I consider microwaving a lean cuisine cooking.

Some of the reactions were cute but the last one just really ruined the video. Kids at his age do try to shock people but the lack of reaction from the parents, and the fact that they thought it was an acceptable thing to show the world sickens me. I hope his future girlfriends or boyfriends don’t end up writing in to DW about how terrible he is and how his parents have no class!